VALLEY CENTER – Click-clack, click-clack. He marches down concrete stairs adjacent to the home stands and onto the synthetic turf for football practice. He smiles and cracks up, speaking to teammates about an upcoming homework assignment.

His body language depicts comfort. He's home. Home is Valley Center.

But home could have been elsewhere for James Johnson.

“He faced some adversity here,” said Jaguars quarterback Tyler Bernard, Johnson's best friend. “There was a group of guys here that didn't want him here. They harassed him enough that he cleaned his locker, packed up. He was ready to transfer to Oceanside.”

Imagine Johnson, the Jaguars' standout wide receiver and defensive back, as part of the top-ranked Pirates' high-powered passing attack.

Imagine the 6-foot-1, 205-pound senior lining up next to standouts Demario Coleman and Osmond Nicholas, running downfield and catching bombs from Oceanside quarterback Jordan Wynn.

It didn't happen, thanks in part to Johnson's will to battle and thanks to Valley Center coach Rob Gilster.

“I really had to talk to some people and confront them to get them to understand,” Gilster said. “I didn't want to lose James. Athletically I've only had a few kids like James. I didn't want to lose him as a person.”

As he watches Johnson click-clack onto the field, Gilster said he knows he kept a jewel on a team that hasn't carried many African-American athletes.

Johnson is in the minority, not only at school but in his community. African-Americans make up 1 percent of Valley Center's population (7,323), according to the 2000 Census.

Johnson is one of two black players on the football team.

“We make fun of it,” said Jaguars' defensive end Kenny Thomas, the other African-American on the team. “We took a picture, and we put the two black guys together. It was all in fun, funny.”

There was nothing funny about what almost pushed Johnson out of Valley Center during his freshman year.

The youngest of 13 children, Johnson fled a dangerous neighborhood in San Bernardino after growing up in the ghettos of Compton. His mother could no longer care for him. She went to prison.

Johnson moved with his older brother, Greg Taylor, 30, and his family to Del Mar before they came to Valley Center.

During his freshman year, Johnson was often confronted, called the “N” word and provoked into what Bernard called “scuffles.” Johnson often found his belongings thrown out of his school locker. A magnetic name tag was burned off his football locker.

“Sometimes he wouldn't tell us because it happened so often,” said his brother's wife, Jenelle Panos-Taylor. “He would go straight to his room and not tell us. He'd shut down for the day. We told him this was another mountain he had to climb. And that we were going to be there to help him.”

Bernard witnessed Johnson's struggles.

“There were some stupid guys who were jealous of James,” Bernard said. “They were mad because here was a freshman threatening their positions. James is for real, a threat on the field. He showed them. Those guys realized it. They now come back and show him respect.”

Johnson makes it clear it was a handful of former teammates who brought the bigotry, not the community.

“That stuff that happened to me my first year doesn't stick with me, man,” Johnson said. “People are people. That's going to be anywhere you go.

“Other than that, I've really enjoyed my time here. I got to meet Tyler and all the people who have supported me.”

That would be most of the town.

“That whole experience has helped him grow and understand that he can be in a situation in which he is the minority and still be liked,” said Taylor, a football coach at Palomar College.

Johnson is a household name in Valley Center, but the Jaguars' standout is quick to credit his brother and sister-in-law for his success.

It was Panos-Taylor who tutored him and helped improve his grades from a D average to a B.

Taylor, who played collegiate football at SDSU, introduced Johnson to the sport.

Johnson didn't strap on a helmet and shoulder pads until his freshman year. He played in three varsity games before finishing the season on junior varsity. He started on varsity the next year.

Basketball was his first love. He starts for Valley Center's hoops team and is a hurdler during track season.

“The first time I met him, he was dunking over everyone,” Bernard said. “And that was in middle school.”

Since then, Johnson has been a football star. He's regarded as one of the top receivers in the San Diego Section and needs 287 yards to become the all-time leader in career receiving yardage.

But before breaking any records, Johnson wants another CIF championship. Valley Center won section titles in 2004, 2005 and 2007.

Johnson also faces an important decision: his impending commitment to a four-year university. Oregon, Colorado, UCLA and SDSU have offered him football scholarships.

“I'm getting ready to make the biggest step in my life,” Johnson said. “I'm just glad I made another by staying here.”

Ivan Orozco is a local freelance writer.